


String Theory

by starfleetblues



Series: Theories of the Universe [3]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, I promised it'd get happier so here you go, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 11:08:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1093180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starfleetblues/pseuds/starfleetblues
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“She’s kept me sane, Bones. When you left-“he sighs, and Bones reaches for his hand. “Bones, when you left, I went to hell. That night, I got in a fight at the bar and broke my nose. I dated a woman for no reason other than she was into me. I smashed all the photos of us I had, and I was so drunk, Bones. But once I met Gaila, it changed. She grounded me like no one else could since you.”</p><p>The younger man nods. “Jim, I still love you. I hope you know that. I may have married Jocelyn, but I still love you. I always will, you idiot.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	String Theory

**Author's Note:**

> I promised more happiness and an update today, so here you go!  
> Also, I'm not sure why the weird formatting, but I apologize! I'm trying to decide if I want to pay for Office 365 on my laptop, now that the trial's expired, and I'm testing out Kingsoft Office at the moment, so I think that's probably why.  
> Update: As of later 12/23, I fiddled with a few things and the formatting is all good now!  
> As always, I own no part of this 'verse, including the characters (except for the change of Joanna to Jaimie).

It’s a full week before they find enough time to see a movie together. Between Bones’ appointments and Jim balancing work, a relationship, and being the Science Olympiad advisor at Ellensburg High (just because he was a history teacher doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy other subjects), there was no time until Sunday. And of course, there was a massive snowstorm that swept through town, leaving them both stranded in their homes. 

‘Guess we’ll just have to go see that movie some other time,’ Jim types out and sends to Bones’ new mobile number as Gaila walks in and wraps her arms around him. He slides his phone into his pocket and turns around to kiss his girlfriend lightly, vaguely wondering why she’s here before remembering that she spent the night last night.

“Want some cocoa?” she asks, her eyes sparkling, and Jim nods. Her family has some sort of secret recipe involving a lot of booze and peppermint, and it’s the best cocoa Jim has ever drank. He’ll miss it if things go the way he wants with Bones this week, and she smiles before skipping off to the kitchen.

‘You’re my only appointment Monday,’ Bones replies. ‘If you want to take the rest of the day off from school, we could go then.’

‘Sounds good. I need a break from these kids anyway. What should we see?’

‘You pick. I trust your judgment. See you tomorrow :)’

\------

Jim’s palms are sweaty through the entire appointment, and he’s not sure if it’s nerves or the cast becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Bones smiles when Jim gets the blue cast again, and as Bones is talking, Jim wraps his hand around the doctor’s, leaning into him as the look at the x-rays. Bones kisses him chastely, and promises to meet him at the theater in half an hour when they part. Jim picks some dumb film that neither of them have ever heard of, nor have any interest in, but they’re hoping they’ll spend too little time watching the film to even know what happens. 

They end up watching about half of the movie, trading lazy kisses that are nowhere near as desperate as the first time they kissed in the back of a theater, but still loving and passionate. Bones’ lunch hour arises just as they leave the theater, and they end up going for coffee.

“So, married, huh?” Jim asks when they’ve got their hands wrapped around mugs, and Bones reaches for his phone.

“Yeah. Two years now. Joce and I dated in college, and we had Jaimie soon after we got married. She looks like you, actually.” Bones slides the phone across the table, a photo of a blonde woman holding an infant, on Jaimie’s first birthday. Jaimie has light brown hair that matches the lowlights in Jim’s own hair, but her green eyes exactly match the ring around her father’s hazel and she has her mother’s nose. 

“She’s beautiful,” Jim says, passing the phone back, and Bones smiles.

“They both are. Jaimie is my whole world. I don’t love Joce as much as I thought I did,” he admits. “But I can’t leave my daughter.”

Jim nods and wraps his fingers tighter around his mug. “I met Gaila at the same time you got married,” he says, and Bones nods dryly. 

“The Irish girl?”

“Yeah. She’s kept me sane, Bones. When you left-” he sighs, and Bones reaches for his hand. “Bones, when you left, I went to hell. That night, I got in a fight at the bar and broke my nose. I dated a woman for no reason other than she was into me. I smashed all the photos of us I had, and I was so drunk, Bones. But once I met Gaila, it changed. She grounded me like no one else could since you.”

The younger man nods. “Jim, I still love you. I hope you know that. I may have married Jocelyn, but I still love you. I always will, you idiot.”

Jim surges forward and slams into the table as his lips meet Bones’, and it’s rough and sloppy and Jim’s hip is throbbing, but it’s perfect. 

Bones pulls back with a shout, because his cup has spilled from the table impacting with Jim, and his shirt is soaked with coffee. He grimaces while Jim looks horrified, and Bones has to laugh because Jim looks so upset. “Its fine,” he assures with a wave of his hand. “I’ve still got twenty minutes left of my lunch. I’ll stop home and change before I go back to work.” He presses a kiss to Jim’s cheek as he stands up and slips out the door, leaving a few bills on the table. The blond decides that going home would be a better option that relieving his sub for the last two hours, and follows Bones out the door.

\--------

Jim’s sitting on the couch, frowning at the pile of essays in his lap an hour later when there’s a knock on the door. He knows it can’t be Gaila, because she’s currently in his shower, and he has no idea who it could be. The knock comes again, more insistent, and Jim sighs. 

“One second!” he calls, swinging his legs over the couch and dropping the essays. 

He pulls the door open to find Bones on the other side, duffel bag in hand and looking harried. “Bones? How did you find me?”

“Hospital records,” Bones mutters. “Can I come in?”

Jim steps aside and gestures for Bones to enter, and the doctor drops his bag in the door. For the first time, Jim can see that his eyes are bloodshot, and he hugs the doctor. “Are you okay, Bones?”

“No, I’m not,” Bones murmurs into Jim’s shoulder, and when he pulls back, he takes a deep breath. “I went home to change, and I found my wife fucking one of my coworkers. Clay Treadway, specialist in long bones. If you break your ankle, he’s your man. Also, apparently, when you’re tired of your husband, he’s your man.”

Jim pulled the doctor close to him again. “I am so sorry, Bones. You can stay here for as long as you like, okay? I’ve got the spare room full of stuff right now, but if you’ll help me this weekend, we can clean it out.”

Bones shakes his head. “No, Jim. I’m fine on the couch or floor or whatever. I’ll get my own place soon, promise. I can’t ask you to do that for me. Just for tonight, I swear.”

Jim pulls Bones in for a kiss. “No, you’re not. You can stay here. I can’t turn you away. We’ll clean out the office this weekend, and you can live with me. It’s not an issue.”

“At least let me pay part of the rent,” Bones mumbles, and Jim knows he’s won. 

“Okay, kid. You can help with the rent, if you insist.”

Gaila comes down ten minutes later while Jim is trying to fit a sheet on the couch as Bones insists he’ll be okay without one. “Jim?” she asks, standing in the doorway, and the blond freezes. 

“Gaila! Gaila, this is Bones. Bones, Gaila,” he says, gesturing with his cast. 

“You can call me Leonard,” Bones supplies helpfully, and the redhead raises an eyebrow. 

“So, how do you two know each other?” she asks, and Jim shouts in frustration as the sheet comes undone. 

“Bones was my student back in Illinois,” Jim says, still arguing with the sheet. “Now he’s my doctor. It’s complicated.”

The doctor lays a hand on Jim’s shoulder as the sheet flips itself backwards. “Jim, I’ll be fine. I’m in kind of a rough spot right now, and Jim has graciously offered to let me stay here while I work things out.”

Gaila nods. “Well, I have to go to work, Jim. I’ll see you later. It was nice meeting you, Leonard.” She waves her fingers and breezes out the door, and Jim sighs. 

“I’m going to have to break up with her,” he says, still holding the sheet in his hand. “I’m going to have to break up with her to be with you, Bones.”

Bones shakes his head. “No, Jim. If you don’t want to, it’s understandable. I can’t ask you to leave her for me.”

“But I love you, Bones. I love her too, but not as much as you. Trust me, it’s not your fault. I’ll be happier with you.”

\----------

When Bones wakes up around 2, he knows he’s hearing something he shouldn’t. There are voices down the hall, and they’re not quite aggressive, but they’re not exactly pleasant, either. He can just barely hear Gaila, not that he’s trying, but he catches her words as her volume increases.

“Were you fucking him?”

Bones’ heart stops momentarily. Gaila continues, her volume increasing to a shriek. “Were you fucking him? I want to know. I want to know why there are photos of the two of you in your drawer. I want to know how close you are with your doctor.”

Bones realizes he’s been holding his breath, and he slowly releases it as Jim starts to speak again, quietly, but still loud enough for Bones to hear. “It was a long time ago, Gail.  
But yes, we were in an intimate relationship. I loved him, and I wanted to keep him forever. I wanted to show it, so I took photos of us and kept them, even after he broke my heart.”

“You still love him,” Gaila says quietly, and Bones has to strain to hear. 

He presumes Jim nods, because that’s what he wants the teacher to do and he hears Gaila again. “Okay. I’ll be the bigger person and leave. It was nice knowing you, Jim. I hope you’re happy, I really do.”

Leonard lies still as he hears footsteps running for the door, and the apartment falls silent after the door slams shut. He can hear Jim sigh from the bedroom, and contemplates comforting him, but doesn’t want to admit that he heard the entire fight. He rolls over and pulls the blanket higher, trying to get back to sleep before work tomorrow.

\---------

By the end of the month, Bones has completely moved in with Jim. Thankfully, Jim is no longer Bones’ patient, technically, and his wrist is fully healed, so he can help carry the boxes up to the fourth story apartment. By the end of next March, Bones is officially divorced from Jocelyn, and Jaimie is 20 months. Jim celebrates the separation by taking Bones out to dinner at their favorite restaurant.

“So, I was thinking,” Jim starts, and his hand winds around Bones’. “My lease is going to be up next month, and it’s kinda small anyway. I’ve looked into a few places closer to both school and your office, and I think if we move into somewhere bigger, Jaimie could come visit us on the weekends. I mean, if you wanted. We could have a bigger bedroom, maybe a shared office, a room for Jaimie-”

Bones cuts him off with a kiss. “I think that sounds wonderful, Jim. As long as you’re okay with it, I’ll follow you wherever you go.”

Jim smiles and kisses Bones again. “I’ll call them tonight.”

\--------

They move into the new apartment by the end of the month, and it’s just as spacious as Jim hoped. The master bedroom has more than enough space for all their possessions, and Jim has convinced the doctor to start sleeping with him again, even just sharing the bed. There’s a room with a set of desks not dissimilar to ones you’d find in a college dorm, and a small bedroom that’s the perfect size for the two year old that will probably come to visit sometimes.

Jocelyn calls Bones the next month to announce that she’s going to be leaving the country with Clay for a new job next month and that he can have full custody of their daughter, if he wants. When he asks Jim, the blond’s jaw drops. 

“Are you kidding, Bones? I’m more than happy to let your daughter live with us. Especially since no child should ever miss out on knowing their namesake.”

Bones smiles and kisses Jim deeply. “Thank you, darlin’. And what makes you think she’s named after you?”

Jim rolls his eyes. “How many other people do you know named James that you care about enough to name your daughter after?”

Bones cuffs him over the head before he calls Jocelyn back and tells her he wants full custody.

\--------

Jaimie is moved in by the end of the next week, her bedroom meticulously painted a soft yellow with pink accents by Jim, and Bones realizes that he wants Jaimie to like him as much as he loves Bones. Bones kisses a yellow-spattered Jim goodbye before he goes to pick Jaimie and the last of her boxes up from Jocelyn and Clay. 

“Get the paint out of your hair soon,” he murmurs into Jim’s lips. “’s too pretty to be clumpy.”

Jim smirks and starts making his way to the bathroom while Bones just shakes his head and leaves.

\---------

Jim points out on Jaimie’s third birthday that maybe they should think about making it official. They’ve been back together for almost two years, and he’s not as young as he used to be, and Bones is older than Jim was when they met. 

“Dammit, Jim,” Bones mutters, and he holds up a finger for the blond to wait before disappearing. When he returns, he’s juggling a small box between his hands, and he looks nervous. He drops to one knee just as Jim reaches down to hoist Jaimie onto his lap, and his jaw drops.

“Bones?” It’s barely a whisper, and the doctor smiles.

“James T. Kirk, I have known you for seven years now, and after a failed marriage and beautiful daughter, I can safely say that you are the love of my life. I’ve loved you from the moment I first introduced myself to you. You are perfect in every way I can imagine, but you ruined this in your rush. I suppose there’s no better time to ask than the moment, though, so Jim, darlin’, will you marry me?”

Jaimie squeals and reaches for the shiny ring as the box opens at the same time that Jim nods, holding the little girl back. “Of course, Bones. Of course I’ll marry you, you idiot.” 

He leans over to kiss Bones, mindful of the toddler in between them, one hand gently restraining her from grabbing the ring. It’s a plain silver band that fits perfectly on Jim’s finger as Bones gently slides it on, but to Jim, it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

\---------

When July ends, Jim’s got to go back to work and remember that he’ll see some of his old students in his lone AP Euro class. He smiles as Bones drops Jaimie off before work and comes back for lunch, and realizes that the little girl really isn’t helping him much at all, except for making him laugh and occasionally pulling things on desk down on top of herself and cover the room in paper. Somehow, though, he manages to get everything ready in time and be prepped for his first day of school. 

Euro’s his first class of the day, and he is pleased to see several familiar faces. Clara Moss comes in soon after the bell rings to let kids in, and squeals when she sees the ring.  
“Mr. Kirk, did you get engaged?” 

Jim just laughs and tells her to have a seat. He attempts to get the class settled, but right as he begins taking attendance, there’s a ripping sound and several of his posters fall in tandem. He sighs and gathers up the mess, apologizing to the students.

“Sorry, guys. My fiancé and daughter were in here helping me last week, and it didn’t go as well as I thought, apparently.” He doesn’t even realize he’s called Jaimie his daughter until squeals fill the room again. 

“I knew it, Mr. Kirk! Who did you get engaged to?” Clara asks, and Sarah Grey chimes in too.

“Yeah, tell us about her, Mr. Kirk!”

Jim sighs and knows he’s lost because the room is so full of noise. “All right, guys. Just calm down. I’ll tell you about my fiancé.” He pauses, twisting the ring on his finger as the room drops silent. “His name’s Leonard. He’s a doctor, and he’s completely wonderful. We’ve known each other for seven years, and our relationship is complicated, but we’ve been together for almost two years, and we decided it was time. His daughter is the result of a former marriage, and she is the second most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, after Bones. If you guys have a problem with me after learning this, there’s the door. You can go to your counselor right now and I won’t be offended.”

There’s still not a sound, but no one leaves. Finally, there’s a hand in the back. “How did you guys meet?” Mickey Wallace throws out, and Jim raises an eyebrow. 

“That, my friends, is a long story that is far too complicated and a little bit too inappropriate to tell a high school class. I’ll just say that we met years ago, when I was still living in Illinois, and fate seemed to keep us together by pure chance.”

The bell rings and saves Jim from further questions, and he frowns as he realizes that he’s going to have to tread carefully for the rest of the year. No need for any angry parents getting him fired, he thinks, and decides to talk it over with Bones and possibly principal Pike if it’s going to be an issue.

\--------

They’re married over Christmas break, just a small thing that Jim’s mom and brother fly out for, and Jocelyn sends her regards. Winona Kirk takes Jaimie for the week while they go visit Seattle for a honeymoon of sorts, and Jim has never felt more loved than when Bones holds his hand as they wander through the city together, and they have more sex than he ever has in his life, which is saying a lot.

They get back home just in time for Jim to go back to school after his 32nd birthday, with lots of lazy kisses traded before Jim actually bothers to get out of bed and put a pair of pants on. He’s officially become James Tiberius Kirk-McCoy, but he’s planning to go by Mr. Kirk for the rest of the year, at least, maybe longer. He lays out some clothes for Jaimie for Bones to handle, He finally coaxes Bones out of bed with a cup of coffee, kissing his new husband quickly before running out the door to school. 

He’s greeted by the majority of his first hour already there, even though school won’t start for another twenty minutes. “Morning, Mr. Kirk-McCoy,” they all chime, and Jim drops his keys as he’s trying to open the doors. 

“What did you just call me?”

Clara smiles and hugs him. “We heard you got married over break and changed your name. It’s nice to see you back again.”

“You guys know too much for your own good,” Jim admonishes as Martha passes him his keys. “I appreciate the implied congratulations, though,” he mentions pointedly as he finally gets the door open. 

There are mumbled congratulations from the entire group, and Jim herds them all inside to find a cake on his desk and streamers hung from the ceiling, a few balloons scattered on the desks, and a crooked banner that reads ‘Congratulations, Mr. Kirk-McCoy!’

Jim’s speechless as he takes it all in. Sarah passes him a spatula silently, and Jim remembers the cake on his desk. “You guys shouldn’t have done this,” he says slowly. “It’s too  
much. And since I’m married to a doctor, no cake for breakfast. Come back during your lunch periods and I’ll give you some then. I can write you a pass if you need it.”

There’s a collective groan from the entire class, but Jim just shakes his head and puts the cake on the floor behind his desk. “Later,” he repeats.

It’s not until Bones calls him at lunch that he realizes just how lucky he is.

**Author's Note:**

> Essentially, the string theory is the idea that you could replace every piece of matter in an experiment with a piece of string and there would be no change. Theoretically, this would work, but it's been very controversial. Here, Bones is realizing that he can never replace Jim with anyone without altering his life drastically, so he returns to the original piece of matter (Jim), and Jim is realizing the same thing about Bones.  
> I have one more part in mind, but I may end up splitting it into two because there were parts that I wanted to include at the end of this one, but I didn't make it. I swear, it's all smooth sailing from here, and SO MUCH CUTE OH EM GEE.  
> Also, if you're wondering, Jaimie's birthday is July 4th (sue me) because I wanted there to be a similarity to Jim's birthday of January 4th.


End file.
